Political Parties Are Stupid

The idea of political parties is really pretty stupid when you think about it… at least the way they exist in our country. I can’t say what I want to say any better than Chris Rock already said it, so let me just quote him. Actually, I’d like to keep this family-friendly, so let me paraphrase him with softened language:

“The whole country’s got a messed up mentality. We all got a gang mentality. Republicans are idiots and Democrats are idiots and Conservatives are idiots and Liberals are idiots. Anyone who makes up their mind before they hear the issue is a fool. Everybody is so busy wanting to be down with a gang. I’m a conservative! I’m a liberal! It’s nonsense! Be a person. Listen! Let it swirl around your head. Then form your opinion. No normal decent person is one thing. I got some stuff I’m conservative about, I got some stuff I’m liberal about. Crime – I’m conservative. Prostitution – I’m liberal.”

Truth. Whether you like Chris Rock or not, and whether you agree with the specific things he’s conservative and liberal about, the wisdom here is undeniable. Let’s break it down…

I think the key idea is summarized in this one line: “Anyone who makes up their mind before they hear the issue is a fool.” Let me throw myself under the bus on this one. As a recovering Democrat, my instinct was to defend Hillary Clinton during the private server email scandal in 2016. My gut reaction was “defend the Democrat!” I made up my mind before hearing the details. However, when I looked at what she herself admitted to doing, it was indefensible. When I got into the details more, and as a former software consultant that has contracted for the government, I realized something… if I’d done what she did, I would almost certainly have been fired immediately, lost my security clearance, and never worked for the government again. Yet my instinct was to defend her anyway. I was a fool.

Yes, you can talk about the whole lessor of two evils thing, but that is another issue and we will never maintain integrity in public discourse if we defend the indefensible.